A teacher at
Appleton Academy in Bradford has collaborated with the National Literacy
Trust Hub in Bradford to develop an innovative new resource which is now
available as a national model of excellence for teaching poetry to Key Stage
3 pupils.
The creation of Great
Poetry through Time: Chaucer to 21st Century Poets began when English
teacher, Mehwash Kauser was inspired by workshops delivered in schools by
National Literacy Trust Hub Manager in Bradford, Imran Hafeez. Through rap
and lyrical performances of his own work, Imran encourages reluctant readers
and writers to engage with poetry by demonstrating how it can be used as a
vehicle for exploring contemporary issues and pupils’ self-identity. By blending
classics such as Chaucer’s ‘The Wife of Bath’ with more contemporary poetry,
Imran’s approach resulted in enthused students who were keen to write their
own pieces using his style as a stimulus.
Mehwash Kauser
adopted Imran’s approach of making poetry more relevant to pupils’ interests
by comparing Shakespeare and Chaucer to rap lyrics, including those from
artist Tupac Amaru Shakur. Through creating opportunities to read a rich
range of poetry from the past and present and encouraging recitals, Mehwash
found she was able to increase her pupils’ comprehension of poetry by showing
that the ideals behind the works of traditional poets continue to live on in
the lyrics of some of the music they listen to.
After seeing her
students’ confidence grow, Mehwash went on to develop the work under the
guidance of the National Literacy Trust and Teaching and Learning Consultant,
Sophie Holdforth which is now available to members of the National Literacy
Trust Network. The resource encourages students to ask questions about a
poem; make inferences and summarise and synthesise their points. Pupils are
then invited to write their own poems on a theme or issue of their
choice. The project culminates in a
celebratory ‘poetry by heart’ performance where students recite their
favourite sonnet in front of their class.
Mehwash Kauser
said:
“This whole
experience so far has been a little surreal for an English teacher in a small
Academy on the outskirts of Bradford and I’ve really enjoyed working with the
National Literacy Trust and Sophie Holdforth to create a toolkit which
schools can celebrate poetry with. I hope it will be valuable to other
teachers nationwide in bridging the gap between the popular musicians their
pupils are familiar with and the works of Shakespeare and Chaucer who were
also once voices of their generation.
I’ve learnt that by
exploring the techniques traditional poets used to comment on their world
alongside the work of the artists they love, pupils can then relate to these
once-intimidating literary giants and feel encouraged to step out of their
comfort zone, seek out more poetry, both old and new, which speaks to them
and have the confidence to create and perform their own inspiring work.”
Manager of the
National Literacy Trust Hub in Bradford, Imran Hafeez said:
“Poetry is a
powerful vehicle for communicating ideas, so it’s great that this brilliant
school in Bradford has taken a fresh approach to teaching poetry which we can
share nationally - an achievement which underpins the objectives of our Hub’s
work with schools in sharing best practice and also in cultivating a culture
of reading and creative writing in the district.
“This National
Literacy Trust Network resource really brings the sometimes daunting world of
poetry to life for pupils, giving them the opportunity to perform so they can
feel the art form’s rhyme and rhythm, visualise the images and experience the
exhilarating buzz you get from getting up in front of and moving an
audience.”
An overview of the
resource with lessons 1-3 is available for free on the Times Educational
Supplement’s website here.
National Literacy
Trust Network members can access the full resource here. Our National
Literacy Trust Network supports professionals who work in or with schools to
raise literacy attainment through:
- Practical resources for the classroom and library
- Exciting CPD opportunities
- A forum to learn from others